Literary notes about indifference (AI summary)
In literature, "indifference" is a versatile term that often conveys emotional detachment or a philosophical neutrality in the face of life’s trials. It can describe a character’s inherent calmness or even a deliberate distancing—illustrated by Burke’s notion of an almost natural state of neutrality [1] and Thackeray’s depiction of surmountable obstacles expressed through resolute determination [2]. At times, the word also underscores societal apathy or the quiet resignation of individuals encountering overwhelming external forces, as seen in the measured composure of figures who approach life’s vicissitudes dispassionately [3][4]. This layered treatment emphasizes indifference not as mere absence of feeling, but as a complex attitude that can simultaneously shield, isolate, and provoke contemplation about the human condition.
- Very justly is use called a second nature; and our natural and common state is one of absolute indifference, equally prepared for pain or pleasure.
— from The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 01 (of 12) by Edmund Burke - Indifference I can surmount; ‘tis a rock which my energy will climb over, a magnet which attracts the dauntless iron of my soul!’
— from Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray - When you are upon this Subject, choose Books which elevate the Mind above the World, and give a pleasing Indifference to little things in it.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Hester Prynne, meanwhile, kept her place upon the pedestal of shame, with glazed eyes, and an air of weary indifference.
— from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
